Episodes

  • Annual conservation event Day for the Bay tomorrow; Catholic church denounce Trump deportation campaign; and more

    Annual conservation event Day for the Bay tomorrow; Catholic church denounce Trump deportation campaign; and more
    Jun 5 2026
    Homeowners who live near the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club will not be allowed to park cars on their lawns on their driveways or on their street frontage for a fee during the U.S. Open this month, Southampton Town says. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the Town of Southampton has already issued a cease-and-desist order to a Barkers Island Road homeowner who was advertising for paid U.S. Open parking spaces on his property with lawn signs and through internet posts.Ryan Murphy, the town’s director of code enforcement, said that using a residential property for a profit-making venture constitutes an illegal change of use under the town’s zoning codes and that the town code officers will be doing patrols before and during the tournament, which runs from June 15-21, to enforce the ban.Selling parking on residential properties near major events like this month’s U.S. Open, which is expected to draw nearly 20,000 people on the competition days, is a common sight nationwide.But communities, and even event organizers themselves, have taken different stances toward the practice. Many communities allow it, either looking the other way at the legal status it creates or expressly passing temporary special permissions to allow residents to rake in extra income from a major draw.Some events have forbidden it because of traffic safety concerns.At past U.S. Opens at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, members of the Shinnecock Nation, who are not subject to the town’s zoning codes, have set up private parking lots on their individual properties along Montauk Highway, most even providing shuttles to the venue entrance at the other side of the Stony Brook Southampton college campus.Lance Gumbs, the vice chairman of the nation’s Council of Trustees, said that he and other tribe members with streetfront properties will be offering private parking options, in addition to the VIP parking lots that the USGA has paid the tribe to host on their powwow grounds in the interior of the territory, from which USGA shuttles will ferry the spectators who pay the $84 per day, to the tournament entrance.***Long Island’s Latino population grew more than 120% since the turn of the millennium, compared with about 12% in New York City, according to a report from the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that on Long Island, the Hispanic population grew 122% between 2000 and 2024, including a 143% increase in Suffolk County and a nearly 99% uptick in Nassau County, U.S. Census data shows.The Dominican population has become the largest Latino contingent across both the metropolitan region and on Long Island, which has seen a more than 260% growth during that 24-year period, figures show.Suffolk now has 363,136 Hispanic residents and Nassau has 264,758, data shows.Experts contend Latinos have flocked to Long Island for many of the same reasons other groups have: improved work opportunities, high-performing schools and relatively affordable housing in communities where the Hispanics appear to be clustered.Latinos make up a majority of the population in seven hamlets and villages on Long Island as of 2020, according to Census data. Those areas include Brentwood, North Bay Shore, Central Islip, New Cassel, Inwood, Hempstead Village and on the east end – Flanders.Lawrence Levy, executive dean at Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies, said the growth of the Latino population on Long Island was not a surprise.But its future trajectory remains in doubt, he said, in part because of the Trump administration's immigration policies. Census data figures include both legal and undocumented U.S. residents."It's pretty hard to predict the future of Latino growth because we're in an unprecedented period in terms of both policy and the processes that flow from it," Levy said. Immigration policies could affect local industries such as construction, and child and elder care, he noted.The total Latino population increase in the N.Y.C. metropolitan area was 48%, from 3.59 million in 2020 to 5.31 million in 2024, according to Census data. ***The Peconic Baykeeper will hold its annual Day for the Bay tomorrow morning from 9 to 11 a.m. at South Jamesport Beach. This year the event will include the Peconic Estuary Partnership, the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the North Fork Anglers.Learn about the Blue Water Task Force and participate in hands-on activities to learn about water pollution, runoff and safe fishing and boating on the North Fork. Tomorrow morning’s event is free.For further info and registration visit Peconicbaykeeper.org.***Presumably bedtime won’t be an issue for Game 2 of the N.B.A. Finals tonight since there’s no school tomorrow. But, parents will once again face a championship bedtime challenge before game 3 Monday night.The last time the New York Knickerbockers won a National Basketball Association title was 1973. With fans' ...
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    10 mins
  • Shinnecock Nation to land helicopters during US Open; removal of "sell-by" dates will reduce food waste; and more East End Long Island news

    Shinnecock Nation to land helicopters during US Open; removal of "sell-by" dates will reduce food waste; and more East End Long Island news
    Jun 4 2026
    Charter helicopters will utilize temporary landing pads on Shinnecock Nation Territory during the U.S. Open Golf Championship for patrons wishing to breeze over traffic backups on roads — for rates ranging from several hundred dollars to more than $1,400 per seat.Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the aircraft charter booking company Blade and Zip Aviation are working with the U.S. Golf Association and the Shinnecock Tribe to utilize a landing pad that will be set up in an open field, part of the powwow grounds on the 800-acre Shinnecock Neck territory…just west of Southampton Village.The nation’s vice chairman, Lance Gumbs, said that the landing area has room for up to three helicopters to land and disembark passengers who will then be taken by shuttles to the tournament entrance gates.Blade is offering flights to the tournament from helipads in New York City, and from East Hampton Airport, which is only a 10-minute flight away.The Blade booking site — headlined “The longest drive is nothing to brag about” — shows prices for seats aboard the flights from New York City at $1,480 each and private charters as high as $15,000 for up to eight passengers. Seats for the flights from East Hampton Airport are $645 each.A 10 a.m. flight from New York City to the third day of the tournament on Saturday, June 20, is already sold out.During previous U.S. Open events at Shinnecock Hills, seaplanes have delivered passengers to Sebonac Inlet where they were met by concierge services and shuttles to the course, including at the 2018 U.S. Open, when Blade set up a concierge tent at the beach.A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said that temporary heliports that are operated for less than 30 days are not regulated by the FAA and do not have to be approved. But the temporary heliports are supposed to be limited to fewer than 10 operations per day — a total of five round-trip flights.***Democrats in the New York State Legislature passed resolutions last night supporting changes to the state constitution that would grant legislators the ability to redraw congressional districts in the middle of the decade.The state Senate voted 38-22 in favor of the resolution. The state Assembly voted 91-47.Steve Hughes reports in NEWSDAY that the votes are the first of three steps that must happen before Democrats, which control both houses, can redraw the state’s congressional districts in order to maximize their representation in Congress.Republican legislators argued that the proposed changes ignore the will of the voters, who approved the creation of an Independent Redistricting Commission in 2014.Democrats said they were simply responding in kind to Republican efforts to create more favorable district maps across the South, amid a nationwide redistricting fight for competitive advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives.The changes would allow the legislature to redraw New York State's 26 congressional districts in the middle of the decade, rather than once a decade when the U.S. Census Bureau numbers come out, as it typically does.The legislature will need to pass the same changes again next year. Voters would also need to approve the measure in November 2027 before it could go into effect for the 2028 election.The proposal allows state Democrats to approve new maps with a simple majority vote and removes a ban on maps drawn to benefit a political party. It also says that if the maps are successfully challenged in court, they go back to the legislature for changes.Democrats hope the eventual new district lines could help them pick up as many as four seats, including ones on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley. Democrats currently hold 19 of New York's 26 seats.***Thanks to coordinated efforts between students and educators, as well as the Southampton Rotary Club, the Bridgehampton School now has a special way of bringing the “global language of peace” to life right here on the east end.Last Friday, the Bridgehampton School community gathered for a special outdoor ceremony to dedicate and recognize the recently installed “Peace Pole” that was set up on school grounds, next to a memorial bench dedicated to former teacher Nancy Bagshaw, who died at the end of 2023 at age 60.Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that Peace Poles are a worldwide Rotary initiative. The tall but slim poles, often white and made of wood or PVC, are internationally recognized symbols meant to represent “the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth,” according to rotary.org. Each Peace Pole bears the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in different languages on each of its four or six sides. There are tens of thousands of Peace Poles in nearly every country. There are currently more than 100 Peace Poles planted across Long Island.It was the Bridgehampton students who chose the placement of the pole near the bench dedicated to Ms. Bagshaw, a ...
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    10 mins
  • Riverhead Town Board votes to move forward with eminent domain proceedings

    Riverhead Town Board votes to move forward with eminent domain proceedings
    Jun 3 2026
    There are just a couple days left in New York’s legislative session in Albany — and the State Legislature has a lot of catching up to do. Fewer than 350 bills have passed both the Senate and Assembly, meaning that the Legislature will need to go into overdrive to come close to matching the roughly 850 bills passed in 2025.There is always plenty blame to go around in Albany, but this year the clear culprit seems to be the glacial pace of budget negotiations with Gov. Kathy Hochul. Lawmakers finally passed the $269 billion budget last week, giving them only one week to advance their own agenda.In theory, the Legislature could stay in Albany as long as it likes to pass bills. In practice, members have already made travel arrangements to their home districts, to see family and campaign for the June 23 primary.That will put pressure on the Assembly speaker, Carl E. Heastie, and the Senate majority leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, to prioritize the bills that have the best chance of passing without much debate.Several issues vying for floor time this week include a moratorium on data centers, making redistricting easier in New York, an uncertain future in plastics, keeping surveillance out of pricing, and counteracting some Trump administration initiatives.The artificial intelligence debate promises to continue throughout the fiscal year in New York and across the country. A.I. has transformed New York’s economy, while it has also begun to shape the state’s physical landscape through the data centers that power A.I.But concerns about their environmental impact and energy consumption have led lawmakers in Albany to rally around a one year moratorium on new data centers.Initially, the push had been for three years. But after conversations with stakeholders, Mr. Heastie said, the Legislature had come to a compromise on one year. “I think we’re comfortable passing that,” he said.Over the next five years, the number of data centers across the nation is projected to triple, consuming more electricity than 28 million households, according to an analysis from the nonprofit Food & Water Watch.***For teen bands in the Town of Southampton, the musical calendar year revolves around one night: the annual Southampton Youth Bureau Battle of the Bands at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that this year is no different, as teenage bands, friends, family and peers will flock to the parking lot of Ponquogue Beach this coming Friday, June 5, to hear and cheer on their favorite young groups in the 23rd annual Battle of the Bands.Gates open at 7 p.m.; those who arrive early will get to listen to a series of special guest opening acts for the first hour. This year’s slate features four local middle and high school students who have participated in the Youth Bureau’s annual “Hamptons Got Talent” event in the last two years.The main event begins at 8 p.m., when the bands take the stage.Like last year’s edition, this year will feature five competing bands. Each band will have 20 minutes to perform a set of three to four songs each. The winning band gets to come back on stage to perform an encore at the end of the show.Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places. This year’s prizes have been donated by the event’s sponsors, including Dream Recording Studios, LTV Studios, Hampton Coffee Company and the Hampton Theatre Company.The event will be emceed by three students from Westhampton Beach High School: juniors Elhani Armijos and Jennifer Santiago, and senior Kate Lynch.Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the gate on Friday June 5.For more information, visit southamptontownny.gov/youthbureau or call 631-702-2425.***The Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton invites you to join them for a wonderful Sunday afternoon of chamber music performed by Poetica Ensemble, a consortium of world class musicians led by artistic directors and local residents Song-A Cho and Christopher Shaughnessy. The ensemble has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Scorca Hall as well as other renowned concert halls throughout the greater New York area and beyond.Registration required.The performance is this coming Sunday, June 7, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Morris Meeting Room at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton.For further info visit myrml.org.Register for the event at rogersmemorial.librarycalendar.com/event/sunday-concert-80790***The Riverhead Town Board voted yesterday to move forward with eminent domain proceedings against the Long Island Science Center’s downtown property, adopting a findings statement that says acquisition of 111 E. Main St. is necessary to complete the town square project.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the resolution passed 3-1, with one abstention. Council Members Denise Merrifield, Joann Waski and Ken Rothwell voted yes. Supervisor Jerry Halpin voted no. Council Member Bob Kern abstained.The resolution authorizes the Town ...
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    10 mins
  • Phone ban proves extremely succesful; Hamptons Pride reaches 5 year milestone; and more East End news

    Phone ban proves extremely succesful; Hamptons Pride reaches 5 year milestone; and more East End news
    Jun 2 2026
    Recently passed state auto insurance reforms could help lower car insurance rates as much as 10% for New York drivers, according to some estimates. That includes Long Island, where the cost to buy and maintain a vehicle is notoriously expensive.Brianne Ledda reports in NEWSDAY that Gov. Kathy Hochul's office has touted the reforms as part of a broader affordability push in her recently passed budget, as Long Islanders and others across New York struggle with rising costs of living. The nonprofit Citizens Budget Commission estimates the changes could shrink premiums as much as 10%, saving at least $200 per individual annually, and as much as $2 billion for New York residents and businesses, without any additional state spending. But while proponents have lauded the initiatives for tackling high premiums, others say the changes could prove harmful to injured crash victims. The measures take aim at high rates of insurance fraud that experts say have been driving up premiums, by strengthening penalties against fraudsters and tightening the legal definition of a "serious injury."The reforms also ban using ZIP codes, occupation, education level or homeownership as primary rating factors — a change that could prove especially beneficial on Long Island, where some ZIP codes last year saw average six-month premiums soar as high as $2,460, said Beth Swanson, an insurance analyst at The Zebra, an insurance comparison company.Historically higher premiums for Long Island "comes down to factors like rampant fraud, runaway litigation, high state minimums, brutal traffic congestion, and just a higher cost of living overall," Swanson said. The reforms take "direct aim at several of those root causes," she added.In New York, insurance fraud and attorney representation in accident cases have played a significant role in driving up costs, said Tim Zawacki, an S & P Global Market Intelligence insurance analyst.Opponents say the changes could prove financially harmful to injured crash victims.***OLA of Eastern Long Island has announced the recipients of its 2026 OLA Youth Scholarship, recognizing eight students from across the East End for their academic achievement, leadership and commitment to their communities.Founded in 2002, OLA of Eastern Long Island, Inc. (Organización Latino Americana) is a nonprofit Latino-focused advocacy organization working in the five East End towns of East Hampton, Southampton, Riverhead, Southold, and Shelter Island.As reported on 27east.com, OLA scholarship recipients this year are Ashley Buestan; Faith Welch; Santiago Solorzano; Shirley Jiang; Angie Castillo; Cristian Bernal; Bruce William Apolo; and Emmanuel Morales Gonzalez.OLA’s youth scholarship program supports students pursuing two- and four-year college programs as well as specialized vocational training. The scholarships provide financial assistance for up to four years to help students continue their education while developing leadership opportunities within their communities.According to OLA, its 2026 recipients plan to pursue careers in medicine, law, engineering, architecture, environmental advocacy and public leadership. Many also have backgrounds in robotics, athletics, theater, climate advocacy, volunteer firefighting, music and mentoring immigrant students.“Ashley, Faith, Santiago, Shirley, Angie, Cristian, Bruce and Emmanuel each represent the extraordinary determination and brilliance that exists within our community,” said Minerva Perez, the executive director of OLA of Eastern Long Island. “Their stories reflect not only academic excellence, but courage, leadership, compassion and the sacrifices of immigrant families who work every day to create brighter futures for the next generation.”***The Riverhead Chamber of Commerce will host “America 250: 4th Before the 4th,” a country-themed BBQ street fair at Grangebel Park in Riverhead, this coming Thursday, the 4th of June, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.The event will feature live country music, BBQ food vendors, line dancing, cold drinks and family activities. Organizers are promoting the event as a kickoff to the summer season and America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.Line dancing – Kids zone – Family fun!The “America 250: 4th Before the 4th,” country street fair is this Thursday at Grangebel Park in downtown Riverhead from 5 to 9 p.m.For more information, email info@riverheadchamber.com.***The federal Education Department's investigation into the Connetquot school district has been referred to the U.S. Department of Justice, after the agency determined that the district violated civil rights law by complying with the state's Native American mascot ban. Darwin Yanes reports in NEWSDAY that in a letter dated May 29, the Education Department's assistant secretary for civil rights, Kimberly Richey, asked the U.S. Justice Department to "commence judicial proceedings" against the district."After the District changed its Native American mascot in response to ...
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    10 mins
  • Trump administration changes could lead to thousands of Long Islanders without food; LIRR strike proves successful; and more East End news

    Trump administration changes could lead to thousands of Long Islanders without food; LIRR strike proves successful; and more East End news
    Jun 1 2026
    While falling short of the resounding victory some LIRR employees hoped for, the five railroad unions that went on strike two weeks ago surpassed many observers’ expectations — by securing raises higher than transit workers have seen in years, while giving up relatively little and cementing themselves as major players in New York’s labor relations landscape, union leaders, MTA officials and sources with knowledge of the negotiations said.It was on May 28, 2025, that Long Island Rail Road locomotive engineers’ head Kevin Sexton, speaking at a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, first warned of the potential for the first LIRR union strike in more than three decades. MTA managers would have to come to the table with an offer that "reflects the value, skill and sacrifice of the workers who keep the railroad running every day."At the time, MTA chairman Janno Lieber largely dismissed the threat, saying, ‘We don’t see that happening in the near-term." He suggested the five unions, representing about half the LIRR’s 7,000-member organized workforce, would ultimately fall in line and take the same deal ratified by "other, larger Long Island Rail Road unions."Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that last month, less than a year later, on the third day of a work stoppage that sent tens of thousands of Long Islanders scrambling to get to work and back home with the nation’s largest commuter railroad shut down, Lieber stood beside Gov. Kathy Hochul as she announced a deal once widely considered unfathomable: Giving workers raises of 4.5% in a fourth contract year, with only modest concessions.John Samuelsen, international president of the Transport Workers Union — the MTA’s largest labor organization, representing more than 40,000 city bus and subway workers — called it "a big win" for the LIRR labor leaders, and for transit unions throughout the state who hope the new contract means bigger raises for them.Some labor sources disputed the significance of the unions' achievement, noting some givebacks — including extending the term of the contract — dilute the value of the 4.5% raise in the last year of the four-year deal.MTA officials have said they got a win in shining a light on the federally regulated LIRR collective bargaining process and that the agreed upon deal is affordable for Long Islanders.***Thousands of Long Islanders could start losing food assistance as soon as today because of the Trump administration’s changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.Roughly 21,439 Suffolk County residents considered by the Trump administration to be "able-bodied" could lose access to the federal program, also known as SNAP, as a result of new work requirements to receive benefits.Tiffany Cusaac-Smith reports in NEWSDAY that these people could be cut off from the program formerly known as food stamps, according to the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance's December tally.Last year, President Donald Trump signed a sprawling budget bill passed by Congress that made several changes to the SNAP program.Among the key changes in the law were provisions regarding those considered "Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents," officials said. Those in that category are restricted to three months of SNAP benefits across three years if they don’t meet work or volunteer requirements, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.New York State previously held federal waivers so that people in that category could continue receiving benefits outside that time period, but most of those waivers have lapsed, officials said. The extensions ended March 1, starting the clock on the three-month timeline ending June 1st…today. The law also makes it harder for states to obtain the federal waiver, requiring an unemployment rate of above 10%. In April, New York had an unemployment rate of 4.6%, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.The law also includes increasing the age limit of those who would have to follow the Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents timeline. Previously, it was limited to those aged 18 to 54. Now, the law has raised the higher age limit to 64, the USDA said.Who can be exempt, and what are the new work-requirement rules?People considered to be Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents should meet several requirements, including working or volunteering, the state said.The work rules also can be met by gaining a job skill, though it must be approved by the local department of social services and be for 80 hours a month, according to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.The OTDA said there are several exceptions to the rules, including being pregnant or of Native American descent. Other exemptions may include not being able to work because of a physical or mental health disability, officials said.The state also recommends reaching out to the Department of Social Services for Nassau or Suffolk for additional ...
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    10 mins
  • Greenport grapples with downtown vacancies; Hochul announces new restrictions on ICE; and more East End news

    Greenport grapples with downtown vacancies; Hochul announces new restrictions on ICE; and more East End news
    May 29 2026
    Schools should do more to limit technology in the classroom but calls from the nation's second-largest teachers' union to impose sharp new restrictions on computer use — including a ban on screens for the youngest students — go too far, several Long Island educators said this week.The American Federation of Teachers’ president, Randi Weingarten, laid out the union’s proposals in a speech Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The AFT’s 1.8 million members includes about 130,000 New York State United Teachers members in Nassau and Suffolk counties, the union said.Maura McDermott reports in NEWSDAY that the union’s recommendations include an immediate ban on screens, including computer-based assessments, for students in kindergarten through second grade, as well as prohibitions on the use of artificial intelligence in elementary schools and on so-called “social companion” AI chatbots for those under 16. Weingarten cited Jonathan Haidt’s widely discussed book “The Anxious Generation” as an inspiration for the proposals.Students are “drowning in tech,” Weingarten said at the National Press Club. Educators and parents, she said, “cannot manage the tech juggernaut on our own.”The use of technology in the classroom has been a hotly-debated topic around the nation, with some states exploring measures to limit students' use of digital devices or artificial intelligence.Local educators have seen “very positive results” from the state's ban on students’ smart devices in schools, including better behavior and more interactions between students, and restrictions on in-class technology also would be welcome, said Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association“There's studies that show too much screen time is not good for the developing brain, so obviously we would support that,” he said. Plus, he said, “the use of artificial intelligence by students has to be closely monitored” to make sure the technology is being used in ways that are age appropriate.However, Vecchio said it is important for local officials to maintain control over decisions such as which vendors to work with and what policies to implement, “as opposed to a one size fits all mandate.”***By early afternoon on a recent Tuesday, Greenport was bustling. Tourists sauntered between boutiques, friends caught up over coffee at sidewalk tables, music spilled from open doors.But even against a busy backdrop, empty storefronts, "for lease" signs and dim windows are hard to miss as business owners and village officials grapple with a surge of downtown vacancies.Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that as the summer begins, with day trippers trekking from western Long Island and tourists arriving on marina docks, business leaders are launching a plan to fill empty stores, ideally beyond the three-month sprint from Memorial Day to Labor Day.Nearly a dozen storefronts remain vacant, largely concentrated across the waterfront on Front Street. Though there are glimmers of hope as several new shops and restaurants plan summer openings, a publicly funded business district is pushing to bring a burst of new business to the North Fork village.Rich Vandenburgh, the president of the Greenport Business Improvement District, described a “perfect storm” of challenges, including several retiring shopkeepers, coupled with rising rents, seasonal pressures and consumer trends.“We’ll find ways to bridge the gaps and get good quality folks in there, and hopefully have them be there year-round," Vandenburgh said in an interview. “Unfortunately, some of the landlords are looking for rents that are Southampton, East Hampton kind of rents that are just prohibitive."There are several vacancies on Main Street in Greenport, including a former candy store and pizzeria.Among the most prominent vacancies is The Arcade, a longtime general store that closed in 2017. The sprawling landmark, founded in 1928, once sold everything from beach towels and toys to sewing kits and household goods.Today, real estate posters fill the large windows of the 16,600-square-foot building. An online listing asks for a monthly rent of $27,667.Residents are split over the right path forward as a debate brews. One former mayor favors more forceful tactics, such as seizing properties by eminent domain.***This Sunday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton presents acclaimed pianist Olga Vinokur – who will return to the library for an afternoon of classical piano music. She has been praised by the New York Times for her “exquisite performance” and “the strength and consistency of her artistry.” From Great Romantics to American Favorites Sunday’s program will include pieces by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and Gershwin among others. Reservations required.Visit the R.M.L. website at rogersmemorial.librarycalendar.com/event/olga-vinokur-piano-78124That’s this coming Sunday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the ...
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    10 mins
  • Sag Harbor grieves tragic loss of 6th grade student

    Sag Harbor grieves tragic loss of 6th grade student
    May 28 2026
    The United States Golf Association and New York State Department of Transportation will create an express lane along more than 3 miles of Sunrise Highway, solely for use by the shuttle buses ferrying spectators and volunteers from Calverton to the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in June. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that over the last two weeks, construction crews have been building a paved crossover through the Sunrise median between the eastbound and westbound lanes just east of the interchange with Flanders Road that will allow shuttle buses to bypass the chronic crawl of trade parade traffic on 27 eastbound in the mornings. For the seven days of the tournament week — from Monday, June 15, through Sunday, June 21 — shuttle buses running between the remote parking lots at the former Grumman aircraft factory in Calverton and the S.H.G.C. will cross over into the nearest westbound lane to travel east.The right-hand lane of westbound traffic will remain open at all times, separated from the so-called “contra-lane” by cones that will be put down and picked up each morning.The express contra-lane will run from the Flanders Road interchange to the intersection of Shrubland Road and County Road 39, where the buses will turn off and take Shrubland and Sebonac Road to the Shinnecock Hills G.C. property. The eastbound express contra-lane will only operate until 10 a.m. each morning, after which the dividers will be removed and both lanes on the north side of the median returned to westbound traffic for the remainder of the day.In 2018, the remote parking lots for the U.S. Open Golf Championship were at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton. But because much of what was once vacant on the Gabreski property has now been developed, the USGA this year was forced to move its remote lots all the way to the Grumman property in Calverton.Tournament directors said that in order to incentivize people to use the remote parking and the shuttle buses, they needed to find a way to cut down on the overall travel time from Calverton — otherwise more people might opt to try to drive and find parking around Southampton.***The Bridgehampton School announced yesterday that it has hired Dr. Brigid Collins as its new superintendent of schools.Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that Dr. Collins had been serving as interim superintendent since February, filling the void left by former Superintendent Dr. Mary T. Kelly, who announced her retirement in January.In a letter to parents in the district, Bridgehampton School Board President Jo Ann Comfort said that the board made the decision to hire Collins after a “thorough and competitive search process,” during which Collins emerged as the top candidate.“We have also been fortunate to experience her leadership style while she has served as the interim superintendent, and the board unanimously concluded that Dr. Collins brings the vision, experience and leadership qualities needed to guide our district forward.”Collins lives in Sag Harbor with her husband, Jim Stewart, who was a longtime teacher and coach in the East Hampton School District Bridgid Collins has more than three decades of experience as an educator. Her career began in upstate New York. After graduating with a teaching degree from Union College, Collins did a one-year internship at Niskayuna High School and taught for two years at Oneida Middle School as an English and reading teacher. Since then, she has moved to the east end where Dr. Collins has furthered her education and worked as teacher and administrator in East Hampton, Montauk, and Southampton…and now in Bridgehampton as that school district’s new superintendent of schools…no longer their interim leader.***Thanks to a collaborative effort from several different groups, the Sag Harbor Village Police Department now has an officer with four legs and a mission to reduce stress. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that Gillies, a 17-month-old English Labrador, is now an official member of the department, serving as a therapy dog, after a special shield ceremony held at Village Hall in Sag Harbor this past Tuesday. Gillies will play a key role in supporting officer wellness and overall well-being. In the few weeks he’s been with the department, he’s become something of a local celebrity. His handler, Sergeant Kelly Anderson, said people have come into the department on multiple occasions asking if Gillies is on the job, proving he’s already perfectly suited to one of his other job duties — serving as a connection between the department and the greater Sag Harbor community through outreach, events and overall public engagement. Gillies is named after Clark Gillies, the New York Islanders 4-time Stanley Cup Hockey Champion who was highly respected as the team’s chief protector and enforcer. The young yellow Lab came to the department thanks to the Matt Martin Foundation and the Suffolk County Police Foundation. Those ...
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    10 mins
  • USDA declares Disaster Designation for Suffolk due to shellfish die-off; New pavilion at Cupsogue opens Friday; and more East End news

    USDA declares Disaster Designation for Suffolk due to shellfish die-off; New pavilion at Cupsogue opens Friday; and more East End news
    May 27 2026
    Here’s a question everyone around here has been asking the past couple days…Are weekends rainier than the work week?If the question sounds preposterous, consider this spring: Including the sodden Memorial Day weekend we just experienced, it rained five of the last six weekends.Nicholas Spangler and Anastasia Valeeva report in NEWSDAY that it rained on half, or 10, of 20 weekend days since the start of the season on March 20. By comparison, it rained on a mere one-third of the 46 workweek days.Was this uneven distribution a function of chance? A cosmic conspiracy to ruin your golf game? Is there a scientific explanation?"Really, this is not much more than a bit of a bad luck pattern," said Newsday meteorologist Geoff Bansen. "Look at the global jet stream," the bands of strong wind that generally blow from west to east all across the globe, affecting temperature and precipitation, he said. "The movement is very rhythmic, but no one bats an eye when these things happen during the week."Finding a pattern to weekend rainfall, he added, would likely require sifting decades of climate data, not just a season’s worth.A Newsday analysis of decades of precipitation data collected by the National Weather Service in Islip suggested Bansen was correct: Analyses of five, 10 and 40 years of data found rain was not more frequent on weekends than weekdays. It also found no statistically significant change in the overall occurrence of rain events. The analysis did find that, over the last five years, Thursday was the rainiest day, followed by Saturday.A number of academic studies have analyzed historical precipitation data from other regions in search of weekly weather cycles, or what is sometimes called a "weekend effect." One hypothesis is that human activity that releases aerosols — tiny particles from smoke, dust or other sources that float in the atmosphere — could have meteorological impacts including on precipitation occurrence and amounts. Since that activity tends to increase during the week and decrease during the weekend, the thinking goes, it might be possible to discern cyclical variance.But the results of these studies are mixed. A 2008 paper found that "both the average area and intensity" of rain events over the southeast United States were greater in the middle of the week than on weekends; the phenomenon was reversed over the Atlantic.***A forgotten baseball stadium that once drew thousands of fans — and one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history — has become the spark for a new community-driven effort to preserve Riverhead’s overlooked stories.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Riverhead Free Library librarians Joann White and Michael Ryan say the idea for the library’s new “Riverhead Remembers” local history project grew out of their astonishment upon learning that Satchel Paige once pitched at a long-vanished Riverhead venue called Wivchar Stadium, later known as Riverhead Stadium.Neither librarian had ever heard of the stadium.Then they discovered many longtime Riverhead residents had not heard of it either.That realization led to a larger question: What else has Riverhead forgotten?Now the library is asking residents to help answer it — by bringing in photographs, documents, personal correspondence and stories tied to life in Riverhead through the decades. The library will digitize all materials and return originals to their owners, while building a growing archive of community history.“We really want to know their story,” White said. “A picture is great, but we need to learn a little bit about the story in the background.”The effort is centered partly around the mystery of Wivchar Stadium itself — a short-lived sports venue that operated from roughly 1949 to 1951 near what is now the Pulaski Street sports complex and the Riverhead Central School District offices on Osborn Avenue.Despite hosting professional-style events and drawing crowds reportedly exceeding 6,000 people, almost no photographic evidence of the stadium has surfaced.The legendary Satchel Paige appeared there in a barnstorming game on July 21, 1950.That game inspired the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame to install a historical marker at the site in 2022.The Riverhead librarians say they are especially interested in stories that often go undocumented — including African American history, immigrant experiences and everyday community life.For more information or to submit something for the Riverhead Remembers project, email RiverheadRemembers@riverheadlibrary.org.***Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) located on the north shore of Long Island at the Nassau / Suffolk border since 1890…congratulates their Professor David Jackson, who has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society.Having the letters FRS (Fellow of the Royal Society) tacked onto the end of one’s name is among the very highest honors a scientist can achieve. It’s a mark of elite distinction. ...
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